What to believe...

arshness

Every site says something different about how many calories I should be eating and whether I'm eating too much or too little...

Let me lay it on the line.

I weigh 319 pounds. I'm 5'7", 27 years old.
I want to lose to about 150 pounds.

I'm currently marked as sedentary and I log all my exercises. (I am a student and artist. I spend most of the day at my desk.)

MFP says I need to eat 1930 calories a day to lose weight.
I saw someone post this:
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ibw/
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

Which seem to be pretty detailed but the numbers that come out are very different from MFP's numbers.
They ask me for all the details of my measurements and weight and height and age and all that...
Then here's the results:

Harris-Benedict Formula
There are a few different methods to calculating yourbasal metabolic rate (BMR). One of the most popular, developed in the early 1900's is called the Harris-Benedict formula. Based on this formula, your current BMR is 2231 calories.

Katch-McArdle Forumla
The numbers above are fairly accurate, however they don't take into account your lean body mass. A more accurate formula that does take your lean body mass into account is the Katch-McArdle formula. Since many of us have scales that will tell us our current body fat, this formula may yield more accurate results. Based on the information you provided, body fat percentage of 65.6%, you have a lean body mass of 110 lbs., and your BMR is 1450 calories.

How Many Calories Should I Eat?
Based on your goal weight, the following chart was generated. The chart shows the number of calories that you should eat on a daily basis to reach your goal weight. At Fat 2 Fit Radio we advocate eating like the thin, healthy person that you want to become. The calorie levels you see in the chart are not extreme, but they do create that all important caloric deficit that is required to get you to your goal weight in a safe manner. Once you reach your goal weight, you will continue eating the same number of calories for the rest of your life to maintain that weight. You'll never be on a diet again.

Based on how much activity you do on an average day, the calories in the right column will be the number of calories that you will be able to eat at your goal weight. If you start eating those calories right now (eating like the thinner you), you will eventually become that thinner person. As you get closer to your goal weight, your weight loss will start to slow down. It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point.

Activity Level Daily Calories
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 2238
Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2564
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2891
Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 3217
Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports.) 3544


So according to this site my BMR is 2231.
According to MFP it's 2218 (So close enough)

But then MFP has me eating 1930 calories a day to lose weight...
But I thought dropping below BMR was bad.

I have been on MFP about 33 days and that marks the beginning of my lifestyle change.
I have lost a net 5 pounds and net 4 inches.
So I am losing weight, though I was surprised I didn't lose a little more right at first because it was a HUGE change for me.

Was it too huge? Am I eating too little? Should I be eating more or less?

Any help on this would be very appreciated.

nsblue

everyone is different and you will hear many ideas and others opinions.

Bottom line in losing weight is calories in and calories burned..... what you take in and what you burn off will determin how much you lose.

In a period of 9 months last year I lost over 200 pounds. HOW?? by keeping my cals 1200 n below...keepin in contact with my doc every 3 months for bloodwork so nothing would neglected... and i WALKED DAILY. I pushed myself and set goals and stayed committed to ME. i started walking only 20 minutes a day and by dec i was walking 12K a day. I was burning off more than i was taking in and I LOST WEIGHT ...plain and simple.

My advice...CHANGE your lifestyle...your habits... DO what you must... lose weight...learn about YOUR body and YOU and in the end you will NEVER gain back what you lost like so many do in going on a "diet".

Getting wrapped up in all this n that can be confusing and can take you off the focus of it all. if you are sedentry...that tells me you are going to have to get off that chair and move at some point. dieting alone just doesnt cut it..... even in maintenance activity is needed.

arshness

My activity is limited right now. I can't control the fact that my life's work requires me to sit at a desk.

The biggest issue for me in activity is that my weight creates a great deal of pain and sometimes injury if I exercise.
This is why I've taken up swimming. It takes the impact off of my body.

If I go and start swimming 3 times a week, I imagine it will help.

The problem is still that I don't know how many calories to eat and maintain my BMR and be healthy.
I had two weeks where I ate below my BMR and failed to eat enough calories at all... I felt awful.
I don't need to do that. I need energy and to move...

I'm just feeling kinda lost right now.

myfitnessnmhoy

You don't eat your BMR, you eat your BMR *minus the number of calories necessary to lose weight*.

My BMR, according to this site, is 2500. I told the site I want to lose 2 pounds a week. There are 3500 calories in a pound. So the site has me "budgeted" at 1500 calories (1,000 calorie deficit per day adds up to 7,000 calories a week which is 2 pounds).

To be honest, I don't know if the site "allows" more aggressive weight loss, but it seems to me like the site has you targeted at a 2000 calorie deficit (or 4 pounds a week).

As to why you didn't start dropping at that fast rate, it's possible that your body needed to make a metablolic adjustment, and if you've started exercise recently that will take a little time to get your BMR up (muscle, once built, burns more calories). Understand that everything this site says is based on averages, and is not heavily tailored to you.

If you've started losing weight, stick with it and see if you continue to lose weight. If you aren't, then try changing something (up your exercise or make it more intense, follow the site recommendations as closely as possible (paying particular attention to the balance between your calorie sources ie. fats vs. carbs vs. proteins, or try increasing or decreasing your calories for a week to see what effect that has).

Understand that changes in your diet take time to show in results (positive or negative).

And congratulations on that first 5 pounds! Keep up the good work!

nsblue

starting a diet when you are use to eating normal takes time in transitioning...your body will go into detox from things it wants and use to having...so this is norm. ..not to mention the emotional attatchment and grief of not having will do to you. if you are eating a balance nutritional healthy 1200 calories a day is suffice to be able to get the 150 pounds off IMO.
swimming does help..it is exercise. sitting in a chair and on break..moving your arms as you sit there is movement...anything helps...to use excuses of such is a cop out...been there and dun that...wrote the book...and i finally had to tell myself to stop lyin and get up and move. ....make the time and stick with it..... when u see the weight coming off you will be jumping hurtles and running here and there...

myfitnessnmhoy

My activity is limited right now. I can't control the fact that my life's work requires me to sit at a desk.

The biggest issue for me in activity is that my weight creates a great deal of pain and sometimes injury if I exercise.
This is why I've taken up swimming. It takes the impact off of my body.

If I go and start swimming 3 times a week, I imagine it will help.

The problem is still that I don't know how many calories to eat and maintain my BMR and be healthy.
I had two weeks where I ate below my BMR and failed to eat enough calories at all... I felt awful.
I don't need to do that. I need energy and to move...

I'm just feeling kinda lost right now.

Swimming is excellent exercise and if you're swimming vigorously you're toasting off calories at an amazing rate.

Honestly, as far as the BMR/calories goes, I'd start really simple. Stick with what the site says, and start logging your diet. Focus on the following:

1. Log all your exercise and all your food accurately.
2. Set a realistic pace using the tools on the site (2 lb / week is a good start) and eat the number of calories the site recommends, including your "exercise credit" calories, as closely as you can manage it.
3. Track your Fat, Protein, and Carb levels. Try to get about half from Carbs, 1/3 from Protein, and the remainder from Fat. Don't go obsessive with it.

Give that two weeks to allow your body to adjust to your new diet. If you start feeling awful, add a couple hundred calories a day and see if you feel better. If it helps, accept that this is what your body needs right now and your weight loss might be a little slower. That's OK - you want to stay healthy while you lose the weight - this is NOT A RACE.

Glucocorticoid

My activity is limited right now. I can't control the fact that my life's work requires me to sit at a desk.

The biggest issue for me in activity is that my weight creates a great deal of pain and sometimes injury if I exercise.
This is why I've taken up swimming. It takes the impact off of my body.

If I go and start swimming 3 times a week, I imagine it will help.

The problem is still that I don't know how many calories to eat and maintain my BMR and be healthy.
I had two weeks where I ate below my BMR and failed to eat enough calories at all... I felt awful.
I don't need to do that. I need energy and to move...

I'm just feeling kinda lost right now.

I know you are feeling lost and I understand completely because I've been there too. You are receiving different advice from different forums/websites. It can be extremely confusing and frustrating.
I'll be blunt. The problem is not the varying advice itself, it is the venue in where you are seeking the advice.

1. MyFitnessPal - People here mean well. They will tell you what has worked for them, which may very well work for you. But there is a difference between what works and what is optimal, and I think you are seeking the latter. Others will offer theoretical advice despite their limited knowledge. The fact is that this is not a good place to be asking questions if you want the scientific (and correct) answers. There are certainly some very knowledgeable folks here, but from what I've seen so far, they are outnumbered greatly. If you just want emotional support (pats on the back and friends), then this place is great.

2. Google - Simply doing searches on Google will also give you varying advice. There are many reasons why this is. To name a few:
- misinterpretation of scientific research
- anecdotal evidence
- supplement/fitness companies that want your money (this is especially prominent)
- some combination of the above
And I'm sure there are other reasons as well.

My whole point in telling you all this is that I recommend you seek advice at a different venue (one that has a more scientific focus). Message me if you want my recommendation.

bangersnmash90

Hi, I'm just learning about BMR and TDEE aswell but from what I have understood, your BMR is a very important number because it is the amount of calories your body would be fed if you were in a coma and the doctors were maintaining your weight for you. It is usually harmful to your metabolism to eat below your BMR. However, because you have quite a bit to lose it may be ok for you to eat below for a short period of time.

The fat2fit radio calculations look at the amount of calories you should EAT to become your goal weight, when it asks for your weight and your goal weight it works out the BMR for your ACTUAL weight but the TDEE for your goal weight because if you were to eat at the TDEE for your goal weight you would eventually become your goal weight.

I entered your details in to their system again and they suggested first to look at an intermediate goal weight loss so I put in a 50lb loss. This gave the following results:

Harris-Benedict Formula

There are a few different methods to calculating yourbasal metabolic rate (BMR). One of the most popular, developed in the early 1900's is called the Harris-Benedict formula. Based on this formula, your current BMR is 2721 calories.

How Many Calories Should I Eat?

Based on your goal weight, the following chart was generated. The chart shows the number of calories that you should eat on a daily basis to reach your goal weight. At Fat 2 Fit Radio we advocate eating like the thin, healthy person that you want to become. The calorie levels you see in the chart are not extreme, but they do create that all important caloric deficit that is required to get you to your goal weight in a safe manner. Once you reach your goal weight, you will continue eating the same number of calories for the rest of your life to maintain that weight. You'll never be on a diet again.

Based on how much activity you do on an average day, the calories in the right column will be the number of calories that you will be able to eat at your goal weight. If you start eating those calories right now (eating like the thinner you), you will eventually become that thinner person. As you get closer to your goal weight, your weight loss will start to slow down. It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point.
Activity Level Daily Calories
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 2891
Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 3312
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 3734
Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 4156
Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 4577

So as you are sedentary at the moment, you should be eating around 2891 calories in order to become 269lbs, then you would need to re-do the calculator.

bangersnmash90

Oops, sorry I didn't input the body fat percentage, but on your original post you have included the amount for that too and from your post and from re-entering your stats:

Katch-McArdle Forumla

The numbers above are fairly accurate, however they don't take into account your lean body mass. A more accurate formula that does take your lean body mass into account is the Katch-McArdle formula. Since many of us have scales that will tell us our current body fat, this formula may yield more accurate results. Based on the information you provided, body fat percentage of 65.6%, you have a lean body mass of 110 lbs., and your BMR is 1450 calories.

So realistically, you could eat between 2891 calories and 1450 but no less than that.